Sunday Reading Task on The Elephant vanishes

    The Elephant Vanishes 

           -Haruki murakami 

'The Elephant Vanishes' is a collection of 17 short stories by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. This is the last story of this collection. The stories were written between 1980 and 1991, and published in Japan in various. 'The Elephant Vanishes' was originally published in 1985 in Japan and first appeared in The New Yorker in 1991.

As we talk about short story, it has small plot, so that's why we read it in one attempt. Here the story beguns with newspaper reading by the narrator. The author describes the daily activities of the society in this story, as well as it describes the emptiness in town life. Here is the story about the disappearance of the elephant. 

The owner of the zoo had to vocate the zoo because of some reasons. So that all the animals had to be sold. All animals were sold, but no one wants to buy an old elephant. Here we can see that Murakami has satirized all the people in the society who are not ready to accept their old parents. The way their sons behave when they needs care, same situation describe here with elephant. But we can see that some people handle such situations, like the Mayor, who arrange to stay for elephant.

Next we see all people visit the elephant, childrens making it's pictures. As well as narrator also visit,come here and sees elephant and the care taker. There is good relationship between the elephant and care taker. They understand each other's language. Here we can see the sensitivity between human and animals, as well as an attachment between them.

In the story the narrator slices various news articles and sticks them in his notebook, this is very good habit he described. It's also collection of knowledge as well as memories.

Many questions arise in the mind of all but there is no answer of this all questions. Only narrator knows the answers. The narrator has seen the elephant and it's keeper disappear with his own eyes. But who believes in this ? He once tell his lady friend, but she don't  believe in this. Even in 21st century nobody can trust you without any significant proof. Here this lines are appropriate:

"No society can understand itself without looking at its Shadow side."

                  -Gabor Mate

Then the narrator decided not to tell anyone. People forget about it as if nothing had happened. The same thing happens in modern times, people pay attention as long as man that event is new, but in a few days they forget everything and get busy in their daily life. 

According to me the end of any story is satisfying, that is where our patience ends. But here in this story disappearance of the elephant and care taker does not satisfy us, but it makes sense to know more about disappearance of elephant and keeper.

The more you try to get to the end of this story, the more you want to know. Let's see one quote……

"You know what it's like when you're trying to fall asleep and it only makes you more wide awake ?"

-Haruki murakami

The end of the story remains a mystery to everyone, except the narrator.